Accused murderer’s testimony: ‘I thought she was going to get up’

Accused murderer’s testimony: ‘I thought she was going to get up’

Defendant Jason "Blu" Griffith testifies in his own defense during his on going murder trial in courtroom 15A at the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Griffith is accused of murdering Debbie Flores Narvaez. (Jason Bean/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Accused murderer’s testimony: ‘I thought she was going to get up’

Debbie Flores Narvaez is seen on a screen during the murder trial of Jason "Blu" Griffith in court in Las Vegas Thursday, May 8, 2014. Griffith is accused of murdering Flores Narvaez. (John Locher/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

By FRANCIS McCABELAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Jason “Blu” Griffith testified Thursday that after killing the woman he says was stalking and harassing him for months, he went to see the love of his life, fearing he might never see her again.

“I’m going to spend the rest of my life in jail because no one’s going to believe me,” Griffith said.

He was explaining to jurors why he went to see his lover and fellow Cirque du Soleil dancer Agnes Roux after he had choked to death Fantasy dancer Debbie Flores Narvaez.

In his second day of testimony in his murder case, Griffith wept, clasped his hands to his face, looked toward the ceiling, closed his eyes, pounded a closed fist into his other open hand, squeezed tear-soaked tissues with his fingers and took long pauses as he found the words to describe how he killed Flores Narvaez.

“I didn’t understand what happened,” said Griffith, formerly with “Love” at The Mirage. “I thought she was going to get up.”

Griffith is expected to testify again today .

During an argument at his North Las Vegas home on Dec. 12, 2010, Griffith said Flores Narvaez said she would kill him and herself rather than let him be with Roux.

While sitting on the floor of his home music studio, Griffith implored her as she yelled at him, “Please stop. Please don’t do this,” he said.

Flores Narvaez reached for her purse, where Griffith said he believed she had a gun. “She scared the (expletive) out of me,” he said.

There has been no evidence during the trial, including Griffith’s testimony, that showed she ever owned a gun.

“I assumed. … My assumption. … That was my fault,” he said.

As Flores Narvaez reached out for the purse, Griffith grabbed her arm and pulled the 5-foot, 4-inch tall, 120-pound dancer toward him.

She became irate, he said.

“Stop. Just chill. Just chill,” he told her.

She drove her spiked heels into his legs and said, “I’m going to (expletive) kill you.”

The back of her head banged his nose. It smarted, but didn’t bleed, he said.

She reached for the purse again, Griffith said. He wrapped his forearms around her throat from behind, and her long black hair smacked against his face, he said.

He begged her to stop.

At first, Griffith thought Flores Narvaez had finally calmed down and was listening to him. He then felt her urinate on his shorts, and he thought she had passed out.

“I was in shock. I was so scared. I didn’t understand what happened,” Griffith said.

He asked God that she please get up.

Griffith rolled the body off of himself and went to the purse.

“I get up and look in the purse. There’s nothing in the purse. No gun in the purse. No knife in the purse,” Griffith said.

Griffith said he didn’t call 911 because it was “not my first thought to call these people who never believe.”

Leading up to his description of Flores Narvaez’ death, Griffith testified that on numerous occasions she had stalked, threatened and harassed him since their relationship ended in spring of 2010.

On some days, Griffith said, Flores Narvaez would send hundreds of text messages and call his cellphone. She would also show up at his work to confront him about their relationship. Flores Narvaez once left a note on his windshield threatening death.

Jurors have heard 14 separate 911 calls Griffith made to Las Vegas and North Las Vegas police asking them for help with Flores Narvaez’ behavior toward him.

Griffith said police had failed repeatedly to do anything to help him fend off Flores Narvaez’ aggressive behavior and some officers would laugh at him over his problems with a “hot girl” wanting to be with him.

Griffith said he was frustrated with authorities and couldn’t trust them to under­stand what happened.

Griffith believed the police would laugh at him again if he called them to report Flores Narvaez’ death. “Metro is shoot first, ask questions later. I’m not calling them with a dead body in my house.”

The argument on Dec. 12 was sparked by the festering feelings Flores Narvaez had for Griffith after he had ended their relationship to focus on his relationship with Roux.

Flores Narvaez said she was pregnant and used that to manipulate Griffith to spend time with her, according to his testimony. It’s not clear if she was pregnant at the time, though the two had conceived a child earlier in the year and had an abortion, Griffith has said.

Griffith’s testimony at times contradicted that of the prosecution’s key witness, his former roommate Louis Colombo.

Griffith said when Colombo came home after her death, it was Colombo who put a plastic bag over her face to deter­mine if she was breathing.

Colombo said he found the body with the plastic bag over her head.

In the days following Flores Narvaez’ killing, Griffith and Colombo worked together to hide the body.

Eventually, they dismembered it and hid it in cement-filled plastic tubs in an empty downtown Las Vegas home.

Colombo cooperated with police in a bid for leniency.

Griffith testified that Colombo had sawed off Flores Narvaez’ legs, disputing testimony from Colombo, who said earlier in the week that Griffith did the sawing.

Griffith admitted he was just as responsible for her dismemberment.

“Whether I had the saw or not. I didn’t stop him,” he said Thursday.

The biggest contradiction was Colombo’s testimony of how Griffith told him he killed Flores Narvaez.

Fearing Flores Narvaez was about to call authorities after he grabbed her by the base of her throat, Griffith approached her from behind and choked her to death. Colombo said the defendant told him that while the two worked to hide her body.

Griffith’s lawyers have said he acted in self defense the night Flores Narvaez was killed.

Prosecutors have said Griffith’s actions were done in self-preservation. He feared a second domestic violence arrest over a fight with Flores Narvaez could hurt his career as a dancer and end his relationship with Roux, prosecutors said.

Griffith and Flores Narvaez had a volatile relationship which once resulted in his arrest on a battery charge. That case was dropped.

Flores Narvaez was once officially “trespassed” from Griffith’s home by police, though authorities had to repeatedly separate the two during their tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship.

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